Lesson 7's lecture shows how important it is to engage in sincere conversations to make the participants feel comfortable, give them the opportunity to learn from you and also learn about the objectives of the interview. I had planned a set of questions that would help me probe some aspects of the commercial value chain in the marketplace. Following the learning from chapter 11's reading (section called 'interviews' on page 4), I opted for open-ended questions that allowed the participant to elaborate on his expertise while expressing his attitudes, feelings and how he would like things to be different. I also used more direct secondary questions to dig deeper in specific aspects of the main topic where I thought it was needed to obtain more concrete answers. However, I was extra careful not to make any comment that made the participant feel that I was judging him.
More than an interview I found that it was a quite fluid conversation. I had met the buyer/distributor on a bus trip from Mpika to Mpulungu (Northern Zambia) 3 days before, which served to break the ice. We exchanged some pleasantries. As we had one hour to take the bus back to Mpika, I offered him to go have a coffee at the bar across the road. I asked him how the purchase of capenta (dried fish from Lake Tanganyka) has been this week. He was pleased with the 50 kilos of produce bought. The conversation and questions that I asked and his open and sincere answers allowed me to understand further on his motives, challenges, strengths, vulnerabilities and his thoughts on how he could improve the way he does business.
He finds his fortnightly visit to Mpika to buy produce as time consuming, expensive and as a burden from a family standpoint. The 12 hours bus trip each way is tiring, In his own words, "I don't like leaving my wife and three kids back home for three days twice a month, it feels like I have to do it rather than I want to". So much money goes in his bus fare, overnight accommodation and the cost of transport for the produce charged by the same bus. In his own words, "imagine, passengers and capenta travelling together on the same bus" (followed by some laughter). When asked about how he felt being away from his own business and customers in Mpika, he said that it was not ideal. He doesn't have any help from anyone to look after his fish vendors in the local market. "I have to do a lot of catching-up once I'm back, including asking my customers to pay me their debts". He also made references to the cost of opportunity of the time wasted in not looking for new customers. At this point, I asked him about his thoughts on a service that delivered the fish directly to Mpika. He said that, if the price was adequate and the quality of the produce consistent, he would certainly consider it, since this would give him more control, reduce uncertainty in his own business and improve his personal and family lives.
I then said that I was sure that there were some positives in coming to Mpulungu. He agreed. He mentioned that he could ensure that the produce was of high quality. It helps him to build a closer relationship with the fish sellers directly at Mpulungu port. He can also bargain and look for the best deal. He said, in his own words, "you know, even though I have two main suppliers, I always shop around in case I find a better quality-price ratio". He finds that this activity is key for the success of his business. "I can't go back to Mpika with low quality capenta, my fish vendors know what they are buying, I need to bring them good product"
I also wanted to find out about his attitude towards the issue of depleting fish reserves and how that was affecting him. I mentioned that I had talked to a fisherman who claimed that there had been a steady decline of fish in the last decade and how that was impacting his livelihood. Based on lecture 8, for the fisherman the environmental impact was the one referred as 'immediate' with some individual control and high motivation to act. However, if the rest of the fishermen used unsustainable fishing practices (i.e. short term more production), this put him in a disadvantage position. The buyer/distributor said that he has seen price increases all the time. He buys what he finds. He does not have visibility into the fishing practices. However, he believes that the authorities should control and prevent it. If not done, it will be the end of the industry. I asked if he would buy responsibly if he had transparency on produce that had been caught following sustainable practices. He said that for the long-term benefit of the industry he would.
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